Sucker!

The sucker spawn is in full swing.  I fished a small trib the other day in hopes of catching a steelhead that has eluded me for far too long.  There were hundreds of suckers in the creek.  This little creek was flowing gin clear with a little color in the deeper holes while the main river was still chocolate milk.  I found a few steelhead hiding in the riffles and in the deep holes.  It was 80 degrees and sunny, the water was warm, 66-68 degrees I would guess.  I was wading wet which is unheard of at this time of year.  I drifted buggers, nuke eggs, and small nymphs at these fish.  Every time I thought I hooked a steelhead, it turned out to be a sucker.  Some were pretty good sized and pulled hard.  I think the water was too warm for steelhead to actively feed.  I did hook one steelhead.  At first I thought I was snagged, then the snag moved!  I put some pressure on the fish and it leaped out of the water several times and started running down river.  The fish jumped one more time and I heard a loud SNAP!  My leader came flying back at me and it was all over.  I had this funny thought of what that steelhead would say if he could talk; it would have laughed at me and said SUCKER!